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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Retaining Chinese Students After Graduation

International
students are becoming an increasingly important part of higher education within
the U.S.Researcher Xin Liu delves into
Chinese student needs when studying in the U.S. and what they need to consider
staying local upon graduation (2013). As American companies turn more
international in focus and desire to penetrate the Asian market such
international students become a priority due to their specific cultural
knowledge and contributions to the human capital mix within companies.

China
has approximately 284,000 students that live abroad to study in 2010 (Mu,
2011). They are becoming a significant source of college recruitment. With the
growth of such students the ability to socially live in the U.S. and have
proper social connections is a major concern when making decisions to stay in
the U.S. or return back to China. Chinese students weigh and balance the
competing interests such as friend’s opinions, career prospects, and formal
school guidance.

Because
Chinese students pay significantly more than nationals in higher education they
are concerned about their job prospects upon graduation. It is important for them to find jobs right
away if they are to be retained within the country. These jobs should offer an
opportunity for career growth and development.

Another
major concern is their personal social networks. When Chinese students leave
school they have some fear of where their proper social fit will reside. If
there are other Chinese students within the area or they have social outlets
they are more likely to stay. The quicker and easier they can make that
transition the more likely they will decide to seek local opportunities;
especially if they put down new social roots.

The
researcher used ten in-depth interviews with various Chinese students to come
to conclusions. Even though the study was not wide it did provide support for
existing research. The research found that both the social network and the
economic opportunities are of critical importance. Both help in encouraging
international students to stay within the U.S.

Students
indicated that their primary consideration was their social networks. In China
people must navigate a complex network of people. Opportunities are often based
upon who someone knows. Therefore, the importance of friends and social
networks is critical to the Chinese mindset.

Likewise,
what did attract them to the U.S. were additional opportunities. Unless such
students have jobs already waiting for them they were interested in
opportunities whereby they could grow and develop quickly. Despite this
interest, it should be noted that the Chinese mindset is to put others in the
social network above oneself so this enthusiasm may diminish without support.

Stability
and growth opportunities are primary concerns when making employment decisions.
Graduates are worried about the ability to stay with a company and grow with
them more than the actual starting salary. To be laid-off a short-time after
hire or not having growth opportunities causes a level of damage to Chinese
graduates who often stay with employers for a long-time.

Beyond
this study it is possible to draw some interesting concepts. It is not enough
to provide Chinese graduates with a freshly minted degree and expect them to
stay within the country and use that degree to benefit society. Because of very
personal social reasons they may desire to move back home. Those universities,
companies, and public administrators who want to retain high quality
international students will need to provide a level of social connection before
graduation and help such candidates successfully transition to the new environment.

The
study was completed from the mindset of a traditional university. In the online
world the student may not live in the U.S. and a social transition is not
needed. However, the report indicates that job prospects are important.
Therefore, having strong connections between industry and academia can further
help in not only creating relevancy for the degree but also maintaining fertile
grounds for company recruitment.

Whether
the goal is to hire international graduates in China to bring to the U.S. for job
placement or help them find employment locally it is important to understand
how the career services department may enhance the universities longer term
goals of industry-academia partnership. Providing students additional time to
use career services and updating those online services with relevant jobs can
go a long way in placement statistics. Furthermore, it may become a new source international
industry partnership as well as an opportunity to make stronger connections
with multinational corporations.

Liu, X. (2013). Career concerns of Chinese
business students in the United States: a qualitative study. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal,
17 (3).